


The Doctor and His Hearts' Desire

by skimmy77



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 17:49:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5595298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skimmy77/pseuds/skimmy77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that he restored the Universe, and said goodbye to Amelia Pond, he was resigned to spend eternity in the void. But a surprise awaited him on the other side of the light. Post 5x13, The Big Bang.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Doctor and His Hearts' Desire

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished Season 5 with my stepson, and this little drabble came out.

The Doctor kissed Amelia’s forehead for the last time, whispering his final goodbyes. And as he walked toward the fading light, his heart sank with grief. No one left to love him, no one who would remember him, and after all he'd done, he'd spend the rest of eternity in the void. He might as well have fallen into the Void when the Daleks and Cybermen warred over London. 

Before he lost Rose Tyler. 

He hesitated before crossing into the light as he grieved for Rose, who would never know of his disappearance. He hoped she was living a happy life with his meta-crisis.

With his heart and mind full of Rose, he crossed into the void.

***

Rose Tyler bolted up in bed as a feeling tickled the back of her mind. It felt familiar, almost like the time the Doctor, the proper Doctor, called her to Bad Wolf Bay. Her TARDIS felt it as well, as the corner of her mind where she resided tingled with anticipation.

Could it be…?

Rose wasted no time and hopped out of bed, getting dressed faster than she ever had before. On the way out the door, she caressed the TARDIS coral in the foyer, which had grown up to four feet these last several decades. 

“You feel that, don't you, darling?” she whispered. “I'm going to the bay. I'll be right back.”

She grabbed her keys off the wall and headed out to her car with a beaming smile. 

***

The first thing to hit the Doctor's senses was the spray of cold water at his feet, drenching his trousers. There was cold sand under his back, and even colder air blanketing his body. He sat up with a start, gasping and shivering. Sand and water stretched in every direction, and gray clouds loomed overhead.

Were there beaches in the void? 

“No,” he blurted, “of course not. Don't be stupid.”

He stuck his tongue out to taste the air, then grimaced. The air tasted funny, like Earth, but not quite. It stirred a distant memory, one surrounded by pain and heartache.

“Ah,” he said, suddenly remembering. “Darlig Ulv Stranden.” His eyes lit up. “Oh, but that means…”

As if calling her with his mind, he heard the engine of a small car approaching. His hearts beat double time as anticipation built in his chest. He dared not hope too much; after all, it could be Norway Beach Patrol, or something.

But then the car stopped about fifty yards away, and he could see a young blonde woman behind the steering wheel.

“Rose?” he whispered. 

She got out of the car on unsteady feet, holding onto the door for support. Her expression was wary. “Doctor?” she mouthed. 

The Doctor got to his feet, brushing sand off his bum, and began walking toward her. She, likewise, shut the door and walked toward him. 

When they got within earshot, the Doctor called out again, more loudly this time. “Rose?”

A tentative smile formed on her face, and she started running. “Doctor!”

He grinned like a mad fool and ran toward her.

Their bodies collided and Rose wrapped her arms and legs around the Doctor, who squeezed her tightly in return. “Rose!”

She buried her face in his neck. “Doctor, I can't believe it's you.”

“I can't believe it either!” He settled her on her feet, and held her at arm's length. “Look at you!” he marveled. “You haven't changed a bit!”

“You have,” she said with laughter in her voice. 

His eyes widened. “Right!” He ran a hand through his hair. “Regenerated. What d’you think?”

She tilted her head as she studied him. “I dunno. It's different.”

“Good different, or bad different?”

She laughed at the reference to the last regeneration, and then smiled, poking her tongue through her teeth. “Just different.” Her expression shifted to one of concern. “How are you here, Doctor?”

“I dunno,” he said, scratching his head. “I should be in the void right now.”

Rose gaped in horror. “The  _ void?” _

The Doctor grimaced. “Yeah, long story, had to reboot the Universe. But maybe,” he rushed on to say, “the Universe figured it owed me one and gave me my hearts’ desire.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Oi, don't change the subject,” she warned. “What d’you mean, you had to reboot the Universe?”

“Like I said, long story. But you, Rose Tyler, you look exactly the same as the day I left you, and if my time senses are correct, it's been quite awhile since then.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I know what you're doing. You're lucky you're cute.”

He gave her a large, goofy smile. “You think I'm cute?”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. “Come on. We're going to have tea and catch up.”

“Where are you taking me, Rose Tyler?”

She looked back at him with a smirk. “My house.”

***

The house she brought him to was ten minutes away, a modest little beach house with a high deck that faced the bay. She parked the car on the sand and led him up the deck stairs, into the second floor kitchen.

“Sit,” she commanded, pointing to the breakfast table.

He sat obediently.

“Talk,” she said, as she filled an electric kettle with water.

“Well,” he began, “essentially, what happened was…” How would he even begin to explain? Without her getting upset? “There was a crack in space and time as a result of the TARDIS exploding which unraveled the universe in every point in history, and I couldn’t fix it because all my enemies locked me away in a box, but I eventually got out and transported the box (which had a restoration field) into the exploding TARDIS to restore the Universe as it was, closing all the cracks in the skin of the Universe, and I was supposed to end up on the other side of it in the void, but then I ended up here.” He finished with trepidation, waiting for Rose’s reaction.

She stared down at the kettle for a moment, then looked up at him. “The TARDIS exploded?”

“Yep.”

“Unraveled the Universe?”

He nodded. ”Yeah.”

“Your enemies locked you in a box?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Which ones?”

He grimaced. “Well...all of them.”

She gaped. “What d’you mean,  _ all _ of them?”

He shrugged. “I mean all of them.”

“Sycorax?”

“Yup.”

“Slitheen?”

“Yes.”

“Cybermen? Daleks? The Nestene Consciousness?”

“Hah, actually,” he laughed, “The Nestene took on the form of Roman soldiers.”

She furrowed her brow. “Why Roman soldiers?”

“Well…” He floundered for an explanation. “They used my companion’s memories to lay a trap.”

“Oh.” She busied herself with the tea, trying to look unaffected. “Was it a girl?”

“What, my companion?”

She nodded.

“Yes.”

She kept her eyes on the kettle. “Was she pretty?”

“Yes, I suppose.” At her stricken expression, he realized his error. “Oh, but she was engaged. Happily so, to a man named Rory. He came with us--well, for a few trips, but then he died, and then he came back as a Nestene Roman soldier, but I imagine he’s back to his human self now that the Universe is restored.”

“Oh.” A little smile played on her lips.

“Rose Tyler,” he teased. “Were you jealous?”

“Shut up,” she said as a blush filled her cheeks.

The Doctor got up from the table and walked over to Rose, taking her hand as he stared into her eyes. “There hasn’t been anyone, Rose. No one like you.”

Rose covered her face in embarrassment. “I have no right to be jealous. After all, I’m the one who--” She cut herself off.

The almost mention of his duplicate hovered between them, and the Doctor’s hearts sank. “How is he, by the way?”

She didn’t answer at first, but then whispered, “Gone.”

The Doctor frowned. “Really?”

She looked up at him, and tears lingered in her eyes. “Everyone’s gone now. Except Tony. But I haven’t seen him in years. He’s old enough to be my dad now.”

“Rose.” He turned her to face him, and spoke to her gently. “What happened? Why haven’t you aged?”

“Oh, Doctor,” she sighed. “Don’t you know?”

He shook his head.

“Bad Wolf,” she whispered.

The Doctor stared at her, gobsmacked. “But...I took the Vortex out of you! You’d be dead if there was anything left!”

“Doctor.” She stroked his cheek, shaking her head in wonder. “I held all of time and space in my head, took apart the Daleks atom by atom, revived Jack and turned him immortal. I did all that, and it didn’t kill me. Yet you held the Vortex for a few seconds, and you died. Didn’t you ever wonder about that?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “How do you remember all that? I never said.”

_ “He  _ told me,” she explained.

“But, how--”

She lifted her other hand to his cheek, and cradled his face in her palms. “When I told you I was gonna be with you forever, I meant  _ forever.” _

It took a few seconds for her words to sink in. Somehow, the heart of the TARDIS joined with the heart of Rose and turned her into someone new, someone who didn’t age, someone he could be with--

And with that thought, the floodgates of his hearts opened, and he plunged forward to capture her lips.

“Rose,” he whispered in between kisses. “Oh, Rose, you beautiful, miraculous, impossible woman.”

“Doctor,” she sighed, clinging to his shirt as he ravaged her lips.

The Doctor picked her up, bridal style, and floundered his way to her bedroom, to do what he had been so afraid of doing for years. To open up his hearts and mind and body and soul, to finally confess his love, in words and in action, knowing he wouldn’t ever have to lose her again. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Universe, for this miraculous gift in his arms.

“I love you, Rose,” he said at last, and would tell her every day for the rest of his life.


End file.
